WARWICKSHIRE kept on track for Midland Counties league glory with a last-gasp three-shot win against chief rivals Leicestershire at the away venue of Enderby Bowls Club.

And it was sweet revenge for the Bears who lost last season’s corresponding match by a single shot –which proved to be the deciding factor in Leicestershire lifting the title and Warwickshire finishing as runners-up.

With five rinks finished in the latest game, Warwickshire were hanging in with a one-shot lead of 125-124 but when Graham Ashby stepped up to deliver the last bowl of the match the home side were holding one shot. Ashby was equal to the occasion, however, and with an accurate runner clipped out the opposing counter to leave the Bears with a couple of shots and a 127-124 victory.

Another big factor in the Bears success was the two big rink wins achieved by Brian Lees, Peter Bryan, Stuart Thomas and Martin Timms and Richard Roberts, Steve Taylor, Neil Hancock and Colin Jacox. The Timms quartet were 15-5 up at ten ends before winning 29-15 and Jacox and his partners also won by a 14-shot margin at 27-13 after building up a 16-2 advantage at the halfway stage.

Liam Pearcey, Greg Sampson, Simon Davies and Andy Smith were 20-13 adrift at 15 ends but recovered well to reduce their final deficit to two shots at 26-24. With the scores level at 16 across after 15 ends, Chris Allen, Rob Robinson Matt Wells and Calvin Wells then lost 9-1 in shots over the remaining six exchanges to lose 25-17.

Graham Ashby’s rink of Andy Strain, Chris Barton and Dan Box trailed 10-7 and 23-12 at ten and 18 ends respectively before winning the last three ends with two singles and the all-important last-end double which sealed Warwickshire’s overall win Martyn Murley, Jim Freeman, Neil Brereton and Alan Apsey were holding their own at 11-11 at the halfway stage but had much the worse of the second half to finish on the wrong end of a 22-14 defeat. With ten points for their overall success plus another four for their two rink wins, Warwickshire picked up 14 of the 22 points on offer and now top the table by a ten points margin over second-placed Leicestershire.